Audi A5 Avant Review 2025

Despite the snowballing number of fully electric SUVs of all shapes and sizes, there remains sufficient demand for combustion-engined estate cars for manufacturers to develop a new — and perhaps final — generation of them, albeit with elevated levels of hybridisation. Discover whether this model represents the estate of the art with our full Audi A5 Avant review.

You’re looking at the estate formerly known as the Audi A4 Avant, now called A5 Avant because in 2023 the upmarket German brand decided to give its future combustion-engined cars odd-numbered names and even ones for its electric models. 

Shortly after the Audi A5 Avant’s launch it was decided that this strategy didn’t make much sense, resulting in a change of mind — what would have been subsequently released as the A7 Avant instead continued to be called Audi A6 Avant. Rightly so, but instead of going back to A4 for this model, the A5 thing stuck. Knocking up a load of new badges isn’t cheap, you know. 

In case that wasn’t confusing enough, while there is also an Audi A5 Saloon counterpart for those who don’t require the Avant’s additional loadspace, unlike the brand’s four-door saloons of old with a separate boot lid this one’s actually a five-door hatchback. May common sense soon prevail at Audi HQ.

You’ll be pleased to learn that the Audi A5 Avant does indeed go one-up on the car it succeeds, figuratively and literally. It’s a properly lovely estate with a stunning interior that’s both high-tech and user-friendly, amplified by exceptional refinement and much more boot space than you’ll need in most circumstances. 

Look into the rears of the Audi’s most obvious rivals — namely the BMW 3 Series Touring, the Mercedes C-Class Estate and the Volvo V60 — and you’ll find that the A5 Avant is bottom of that quartet’s pile when it comes to outright volume. In fact, it has a slightly smaller boot than its predecessor despite being an externally bigger car in most directions. 

There’s even greater cargo-carrying ability for less expense with a pair of alternatives from within the same Volkswagen Group that Audi’s a member of. It’s a matter of priorities here because as capable at lugging loads and as well-finished as the Skoda Superb Estate and Volkswagen Passat Estate are, neither matches Audi’s brand cachet.

Generally speaking, it’s very difficult to fault the A5 Avant in any area, unless you want a fully electric one — at that point the helpful sales executive will walk you towards the similarly sized Audi A6 Avant e-tron, which isn’t an EV version of the was-going-to-be-called-A7-but-reverted-to-A6 Avant. No potential for confusion there.

Among the Audi A5 Avant’s surprisingly old-school engine range is a TDI diesel. That’s not to say the engines themselves feel old — quite the opposite — but this still feels like a car designed for people who spend a lot of time on motorways who want comfort with the convenience of a five-minute fill-up for 750-odd miles of range.

There’s also an entry-level 150PS TFSI petrol version for those not doing massive mileage and who want a slightly quieter experience with cheaper up-front costs, plus a 204PS version of the same engine, matching the diesel’s power output. Those are all 2.0-litre units while propelling the range-topping Audi S5 Avant is a 367PS 3.0-litre powerplant — only it and the diesel are available with quattro all-wheel drive and MHEV Plus mild hybrid assistance.

For the company car crew, there’s a tax-efficient PHEV version labelled Audi A5 Avant e-hybrid that has the potential to achieve more than 100mpg and up to 66 miles of electric-only driving range despite packing a combined 299PS punch.

All of them come with an automatic gearbox and they’re all quick enough, with the entry-level petrol getting to 62mph from a standstill in under 10 seconds — the S5 Avant flagship does it in just 4.5. The front-wheel drive TDI is the best all-rounder in the lineup, though. It’ll give you a solid 60mpg and if it’s been a while since you drove a chuggy old diesel, you’ll find the smooth, quietness of this one almost miraculous.

The Audi A5 Avant’s infotainment system is excellent too, partly because there’s so much physical screen space that Audi has been able to fit more icons onto it. But mainly it’s because the software is very well designed, allowing you to get to most things with a solitary finger jab. This dual-screen setup is standard-fit across the range, with the only screen on the options list being a third one for the front passenger — a gimmick, but a fun one, that allows them to watch Netflix or YouTube without distracting the driver. Or they can look at their own little clock.

Thankfully it’s one of the relatively few options available for the Audi A5 Avant because it’s a very well-equipped car even in less expensive Technik and Sport trims. Neither feels basic because even at those lower price points this feels like a cutting-edge, high-quality estate. 

The Audi A5 Avant is broadly comfortable and has a sense of solidity and assurance, but everything feels on the firm side. Turning the wheel requires more effort than it does in a BMW 3 Series Touring or Mercedes C-Class Estate but this doesn’t necessarily equate to more road feel channelled to your hands.

Models in lower trims with standard, non-adaptive suspension and the smallest available 17-inch wheels, are very adept at remaining stable while effectively smoothing-out potholes. Higher specification A5 Avants with larger diameter wheels and optional adaptive suspension are a different proposition. In Comfort or Auto modes the damping softens nicely, but in Dynamic mode where it’s stiffened — together with a sharper accelerator response and increased steering resistance — it feels a bit heftier without becoming more engaging to drive. 

The 3 Series Touring, which is rear-wheel drive as standard, still feels much better at that sort of thing, while the C-Class Estate is notably more comfy and luxurious. The A5 Avant sits between them, offering an appealing balance of sharpness and quiet comfort — albeit less characterful to drive 

Over long distances the Audi’s exceptional. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, who famously loved a mid-sized executive estate, you can spend all day in an A5 Avant and not feel a thing. Even the diesel has near-enough luxury car refinement. There’s very little wind noise or tyre roar, even on bigger wheels, the seats seem to mould themselves into the shape of your back and its body control is superb at motorway speed.

While not exceptionally broad, the Audi A5 Avant engine range still comprises three petrols, a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and a diesel — one of the last new cars you’ll be able to buy equipped with such a powerplant. The A5 Avant feels traditional in that there’s no fully electric version, but the largest petrol and the diesel benefit from Audi’s MHEV Plus mild hybrid tech, which improves efficiency by adding a little bit of electric assistance to boost performance and efficiency.

The entry-level petrol is a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit known as the TFSI 150PS. It produces 270Nm of torque but if that’s not enough for you the uprated TFSI 204PS ups the torque output to 320Nm. The former is perfectly fine if you’re not planning on regularly packing your estate to the rafters, but if you are you’ll need the extra torque of the latter. 

In outright terms the 150PS version delivers a top speed of 134mph and will perform the 0-62mph acceleration benchmark in a respectable 9.8 seconds. Opting for the 204PS model swaps those stats for 152mph and 7.8 seconds.

Even better on the torque front is the TDI 204PS — this diesel is also a turbocharged 2.0-litre, with than elevated output of 400Nm. It’s a genuine marvel of quiet refinement, smooth acceleration and fuel efficiency. Front-wheel drive versions are quoted at 149mph for the top speed with a 7.7-second 0-62mph time, while the quattro four-wheel drive option claims 147mph and 6.9 seconds for the 0-62mph dash.

The high-performance S5 Avant has a 3.0-litre V6 turbo engine, producing 550Nm of torque, transmitting its grunt to the road via standard quattro four-wheel drive. It’s an amazing thing and, if you can swallow the costs, it’s one of the best do-it-all family cars on sale right now. Its top speed is electronically capped at 155mph, while the 0-62mph time is just 4.5-seconds.

Sensible company car drivers will opt for the Audi A5 Avant e-hybrid PHEV which sees a TFSI petrol engine working in conjunction with an electric motor for a total output of 299PS and 450Nm. It also is capable to reaching a governed 155mph top speed — or 87mph when working in electric-only mode — as well as boasting a 5.9-second 0-62mph claim.

As you’d expect, the Audi A5 Avant was awarded a five-star Euro NCAP rating and has all manner of standard safety kit in its arsenal. 

That includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition and hill-hold assist. It’s easy to switch off the lane-departure system if you’re not a fan of having your car steer itself away from road markings that sensors have deemed you’re too close to. 

There are two Isofix mountings for child seats in the back and one up front, plus the Audi will warn you if you’re about to forget that one of your children is still in the car when you leave — it happens, apparently. 

The A5 Avant also comes with Audi’s latest rear light system using six separate LED panels to flash warnings to any car that’s approaching too fast or too close. They’re customisable too, so you can choose your own ‘light signature’. 

All versions of the Audi A5 Avant can be fitted with a tow bar, including the performance-focused S5 Avant version.

A braked trailer capacity of 1500kg is quoted for TFSI 150PS and 204PS models, while both the e-hybrid 299PS and the front-wheel drive TDI 204PS are able to haul 1700kg. Adding quattro four-wheel drive ups the TDI’s capacity to 1800kg while the best of the range is the S5 Avant and its 1900kg maximum. 

Although it trails its immediate rivals in some areas, the Audi A5 Avant is as spacious and practical as most people will ever need. 

An increased wheelbase compared with the outgoing A4 Avant means rear space is improved, although tall adults might struggle with headroom in the back row —both the BMW 3 Series Touring and Mercedes C-Class Estate feel airier in the rear. 

They also both have more boot space than the Audi does — with the rear seats in place the BMW boasts 500 litres (410 litres for PHEVs), with the Mercedes offering 490 litres (PHEVs are 360 litres), eclipsing the 476 litres of the A5 Avant in TFSI 150PS and 204PS guise. For the TDI diesels and the S5 Avant that drops to 448 litres, with the e-hybrid even less spacious at 361 litres.

It’s an impressively flexible cargo bay, with rear seats that split in a 40/20/40 configuration leaving a completely flat floor. There’s a bit of underfloor storage, the tailgate is electrically operated as standard and when you open it, the luggage cover automatically moves up and out of the way.

Seats-down carrying capacities for the A5 Avant when loaded to ceiling height are 1424 litres (TFSI 150PS and 204PS), 1396 litres (TDIs and S5) and 1306 litres (e-hybrid). Those figures still lag behind the 3 Series Touring’s 1510 litres for all versions barring the plug-ins (1420 litres) and the C-Class Estate’s 1510 litres (PHEVs are 1375 litres). 

Interior storage includes decent front door bins with rubberised linings, a wireless smartphone charging pad and a small central cubby. All fine but nothing out of the ordinary. 

How good does the Audi A5 Avant’s interior feel? Better than any other estate of a similar size. Audi has perfected the art of making superlative-generating interiors. 

Everything above waist level that you’d want to be soft to touch is soft to touch, the indicators feel solid, the door pulls are placed where you’d intuitively expect them to be — a surprising oversight in many cars — and the choice of trims is tasteful. The metal accenting is pure Pantera — proper metal, that is — and the cabin’s ambient lighting is among the most impressive you’ll see. Even the cupholders are illuminated. 

Our only gripes are that the haptic panels on the steering wheel can feel a little odd to use — they’re of a similar sort to those that Volkswagen has ditched in the updated Golf in favour of physical buttons. Audi might end up doing the same thing. 

We’re also not fans of the climate control adjusters being part of the touchscreen setup. Yes, the constantly displayed but you still have to take your eyes off the road momentarily in order to use them. Physical knobs and buttons are superior, simple as.

If you have an aversion to screens you might struggle in the Audi A5 Avant because everything but a small volume knob has been moved to the software interface. 

Those getting into an A5 from, say, a BMW — whose iDrive system is still the benchmark for user-friendliness — could struggle, initially at least. It’s a fantastic system, though, including an always-on row of shortcut buttons at the side closest to you. And the digital instrument display is information-rich without being overwhelming. 

The 14.0-inch curved multimedia touchscreen is gloriously high-definition and very responsive — it doesn’t take long to figure out how to quickly do basic things such as input an address or favourite a radio station. And if you really don’t like prodding a screen, Audi’s voice recognition system is a massive improvement over the outgoing version. 

To clear up the dashboard, Audi has moved the exterior light controls from the dash onto the driver’s door switch panel. It feels unusual at first, but it’s no more than that — you’ll get used to it. 

The third display screen on the passenger side (optional on most A5 Avants) allows access to the music and radio stations, the navigation, air con, video streaming and… a little clock. It’s a bit gimmicky but it at least does the things you’d expect it to, plus you can’t see it from the driver’s side, so you can’t be distracted by your passenger watching dreadful things on YouTube.  

We’re not going to pretend that the Audi A5 Avant is cheap but the cost of the least expensive version isn’t that far north of the price of an average UK car spend — and this car’s far from average. That said, you’ll find it difficult to keep it that price because more powerful engines and fancier equipment doesn’t come for free. 

Sport is the entry-level specification for the core of the A5 Avant range. £44,560 gets you the TFSI 150PS, with the TFSI 204PS chiming in at £46,900. Between them is the £49,100 TDI 204PS, while the quattro four-wheel drive version is £50,675.

Slightly unusually, the Audi A5 e-hybrid is available in a sub-Sport trim level that resurrects the Technik label — it’s yours for £50,850. Topping the range is the S5 Avant which is only available in flagship Edition 1 guise — that will set you back £71,725. 

Those numbers aren’t far removed from the competition with £43,930 being required to open the gates to BMW 3 Series Touring ownership and £47,925 for cheapest Mercedes C-Class Estate. Volvo’s V60 is between them costing upwards of £43,940.

Of course, few people will buy an A5 Avant in full from new with a bank transfer and you’ll discover that leasing and PCP payments are very similar for any of these estate options. 

The cheapest way to run an Audi A5 Avant is if you’re a company car driver choosing an e-hybrid PHEV version — providing that you make sure you keep the battery charged up daily for minimal fuel use. 

If you do and your commute is short, you’ll pay very little in Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax and hardly ever visit a filling station. Consider that the e-hybrid’s BiK tax band is 9% compared with 33% for the TDI diesel and it’s the definition of a no-brainer, saving you thousands of pounds over a few years. The chances of you getting close to its WLTP Combined cycle best of 136.3mpg are minimal, though — when the battery’s flat a real-world 40mpg is closer to the mark.

Elsewhere in the range, those official WLTP Combined cycle best-case figures are 41.7mpg for the TFSI 150PS, 41.4mpg with the TFSI 204PS and 57.5mpg if you choose the front-wheel drive TDI 204PS. That’s the one to go for if you’re mostly on the motorway, yet as ever, it’s worth taking into account the extra initial outlay.

Adding quattro all-wheel drive results in a modest drop to a best of 54.7mpg while the least efficient of the range is the Audi S5 Avant — if you can get close to its 35.9mpg best then you’re not using much of the performance you’ve paid handsomely for.

Insurance groups range from 25 to 40 — average for this sort of car — but servicing costs are higher than average at Audi dealers. 

You’ll need to add the annual £410 Expensive Car Supplement — the so-called luxury car tax — to your sums from the first through too the fifth anniversaries of its first registration as every A5 Avant costs more than the £40,000 threshold.

Audi A5 Avant e-hybrid: Range and charging

Depending on the trim level you choose, the Audi A5 Avant e-hybrid can cover between 59-66 miles of electric-only driving thanks to the 20.7kWh usable capacity of its high-voltage battery pack.

Audi only quotes a 0-100% recharge time of 2 hours and 30 minutes for the e-hybrid when using an 11kW AC wallbox — its maximum charging capacity is 22kW. Most UK residences are limited to a 7.4kW maximum for such devices, so you’ll be looking at closer to 4 hours in reality.

Across the Audi A5 Avant range are four trim levels — Technik (solely for the e-hybrid), Sport, S Line and Edition 1. 

Note that the Audi S5 Avant is only available in Edition 1 specification but with differences to the trim level of the same name in regular A5s.

Standard equipment highlights for the Audi A5 Avant Technik include:

• 18-inch 5-arm aero black gloss and turned finish alloy wheels
• LED head and tail lights
• Comfort suspension
• Keyless Go — keyless locking/unlocking/starting/stopping
• Electrically operated tailgate
• Electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Aluminium roof rails
• Heated front sports seats
• Expedition cloth upholstery
• Leather-wrapped, twin-spoke, multi-function steering wheel
• Aluminium-look interior trims
• Configurable Active Info Display driver’s display screen
• Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity
• DAB radio
• Integrated navigation system
• Wireless smartphone charging pad
• 3-zone deluxe climate control
• Adaptive cruise control
• Drive Select driving modes

Upgrading to the Audi A5 Avant Sport nets you:

• 18-inch 5-twin-spoke alloy wheels
• Upgraded LED head and tail lights with automatic main beam
• Auto-dimming, electrically adjustable, folding and heated door mirrors
• Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror

Spending extra on the Audi A5 Avant S Line adds:

• 19-inch 5-twin-Y-spoke alloy wheels
• Sport suspension
• Dark-tinted rear privacy windows
• Leather and faux leather upholstery with embossed S logos
• Leather-wrapped, three-spoke, flattened top and bottom, multi-function sports steering wheel
• Black faux leather dashboard with contrast stitching
• Gloss Black interior accent inlays
• Stainless steel pedals
• Aluminium door sill tread plates with illuminated S logos

Topping the core range is the Audi A5 Avant Edition 1 which additionally features:

• 20-inch 5-arm-fold Audi Sport Silk Matt Grey and gloss turned finish alloy wheels
• Matrix LED headlights with eight selectable light signatures
• Headlamp cleaning system
• Black door mirror housings
• Black roof rails
• Surround view 360-degree camera system
• Heated, electrically adjustable front sports seats
• Dinamica microfibre and leather upholstery with rhombus pattern stitching

Additional features specific to the Audi S5 Avant Edition 1 include:

• 20-inch 5-twin-spoke Audi Sport Metallic Black and gloss turned finish alloy wheels
• S Sport adaptive suspension
• S-specific bumpers and rear spoiler
• Black exterior detailing
• Digital OLED rear lights
• Panoramic glass roof with switchable transparency
• Heated and ventilated electrically adjustable front sports seats
• Heated outer rear seats
• Pearl Nappa leather upholstery with diamond pattern stitching
• Electrically adjustable steering wheel
• Matt Anthracite brushed aluminium interior trims
• Head-up display
• Bang & Olufsen premium sound system with 3D sound and integrated headrest speakers
• 4-zone deluxe climate control